Women of the Rhondda

Tales of the valley: women recall their lives in the mining communities of the Rhondda

"A slave to the home" is one participant's memory of daily life for women - while the men were slaves to the mine owners - in a coalmining area of South Wales in the 1920s. The industry was riven by strikes in this era, including the General Strike of 1926, and times were even tougher for the women when the men were out on strike. These four women of the Rhondda Valley speak eloquently to camera - they have clearly been put at ease by the filmmakers - as they tell of lost hopes of careers as a teacher or vet, and recall happier times too.